View full sizeJerry TalkingtonAt least a half-dozen pairs of Henslow's sparrows are nesting and singing at the Coliseum grasslands in the CVNP.

As much as birders love to travel, finding desirable species close to home -- in June, no less -- is especially rewarding.

I'm reminded of this whenever I visit the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, a massive stretch of green space between Cleveland and Akron that is teeming with wildlife, including some birds found in greater abundance than anywhere else in the state.

My longtime birding buddy Jeff Wert and I made our annual summer visit to the Coliseum grasslands on Father's Day, meeting on a cool, sunny morning for a trek through this jewel of reclaimed acreage on Ohio 303 just west of Peninsula. The waist-high grass was wet with dew, making rubber boots a necessity. Access is via random trails beaten down by herds of deer and the occasional hiker. Only the nimble of foot should venture within.

But those are some of the factors that make this habitat ideal for grassland birds. Dog walkers, bicyclists and joggers should stick to the towpath down the hill.

I was immediately struck by the multitudes of bobolinks all about: perched on prominent blades of grass, hovering in mating displays, chasing away intruders to their territories, and scolding us if we strayed too close to their nests. Their loud bubbling song was a joy to hear and filled the air throughout the morning.

Amid the din of bobolinks, red-winged blackbirds, Eastern meadowlarks, indigo buntings and common yellowthroats, it was a wonder we were able to detect the weak excuse for a song of the Henslow's sparrows: an uncommon and secretive grassland species that appears to be thriving at the Coliseum. We found more than a half-dozen pairs of these handsome birds, usually by training our ears to detect the distinctive "se-lick," song, typically delivered with a thrown-back head from an obscure perch.

A trip to the national park wouldn't be complete without stops nearby at several other reliable spots. At Horseshoe Pond, for instance, we didn't even have to leave the parking lot to obtain killer views of a blue-winged warbler, singing and gleaning branches in a stand of shrubs.

Down the road a piece at the Oak Hill Trailhead, an alder flycatcher, blue-winged warblers, indigo buntings and common yellowthroats were active and vocal. A scarlet tanager was a surprise, alighting in the canopy of a maple tree. Eastern towhee and field, song and chipping sparrows sang from hidden limbs.

The songs of hooded warblers echoed through the dark woodlands at the Deep Lock Quarry, one of the best places in the region to find these beautiful and elusive local nesters. Joining the chorus of songbirds were a veery, wood thrush, scarlet tanager, rose-breasted grosbeak, yellow-throated and cerulean warblers, Acadian and great crested flycatchers and red-eyed vireo.

A small raptor exploded from a treetop, then called continuously, revealing its identity: broad-winged hawk.

SIGHTINGS

Late warblers included a blackpoll at John Pogacnik's yard in Perry Township, and a mourning in my Lakewood backyard, spotted by Suzanne McCarty.

Lorain County notable birds, spotted during Jen Brumfield's Local Patch tour over the weekend, included the white pelican at the Sandy Ridge Reservation in North Ridgeville, dunlin at the Lorain Impoundment, dickcissel at the Margaret Peak Preserve, and the adult lark sparrows along the Bridgeview Trail bike path off of Ohio 611, which fledged three chicks from a nest last week.

Gabe Leidy counted more than a dozen dickcissels at the Pickerel Creek Wildlife Area.

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